Police Receive False Tip on Wanted New Hampshire Couple

On Saturday November 24, 2012 at approximately 7:30 PM, the Beverly Police Department received a 911 call reporting the sighting of a wanted New Hampshire couple in Beverly. The 911 caller identified himself to officers and reported that he believed that Roland Dow and Jessica Linscott, wanted out of Plaistow, NH for child endangerment charges, were staying at 18 Dunham Rd in Beverly. He proceeded to give a description of the house and vehicle in the driveway, identified the home owner as “Ed”, and stated that the suspects were in the house at this time. Several officers responded to that location and found the house and vehicle to match the description given. Officers spoke to the resident, 71-year-old Edward Cloutman, and he allowed officers to search his house but found no one else inside. Cloutman was found to have an active warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody. When questioned by investigators, Cloutman stated he had a female living with him and that she had allowed two friends to stay at his house for a few nights this week. He was shown a picture of Dow and Linscott and indicated that they were the two people who had stayed in his house.

Believing that Dow and Linscott had been staying at the residence, officers continued to search the area. During this search, the female living with Cloutman drove by the house. Upon speaking to officers she admitted that her friend Roland and his girlfriend had been staying with her and told officers that she had just dropped them off nearby on Brimbal Hills Dr before coming home. Officers continued to search for the suspects and eventually, with the help of State Police K9 units, found a male suspect hiding in a shed on Kinsman Rd. The suspect resisted officers as they attempted to take him into custody and once in custody, he was identified as Roland Lemieux, 31, of Middleton, MA. Lemieux was found to have an active warrant for his arrest, which investigators believe was his reason for fleeing from police. He was additionally charged with breaking and entering, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. His girlfriend was not found.

At this time investigators do not believe that Roland Dow or Jessica Linscott ever spent any time at 18 Dunham Rd, noting that Lemieux resembled Roland Dow in appearance.